Through the NIEHS Center Core Grant Program the University of Arizona Center for Toxicology will develop the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC), at the University of Arizona. The EHSC will be a major component of the University of Arizona Center for Toxicology, which was established by the Arizona Board of Regents in 1987. The mission of the EHSC is to integrate, coordinate and expand interactions among a group of established investigators conducting high quality research in the area of environmental health sciences. This mission will be fulfilled by fostering interdisciplinary approaches to understanding mechanisms by which environmental chemicals impact human health and to identifying factors that affect these mechanisms. Thirty-two SWEHSC Investigators have formed four interdisciplinary Research Programs that represent current research activities and provide the basis for new research initiatives. These Programs are Biotransformation, Metals, Cell Injury and Environmental Genetics. To increase productivity and enhance the quality of research being conducted in each of these Research Programs, three Service Cores (Synthetic Chemistry, Analytical Services, Experimental Pathology) have been formed. These cores will offer certain routine services and assist investigators in introducing new methodologies into their research. In addition to the three Service Cores, a Transgenic Animal Facility will be developed within the Environmental Genetics Research Program. The Administrative Core will provide enrichment programs for SWEHSC investigators through seminars and workshops, recruit new SWEHSC Investigators both from within and outside the University of Arizona, promote opportunities for innovative research ideas through the Pilot Projects Program, and oversee all activities. The Community Outreach and Education Program will encourage students, particularly minority students to consider careers in environmental health; establish collaborative research and education programs in Mexico; and offer programs in environmental sciences to health related professionals. The SWEHSC will be a regional representative of NIEHS serving citizens in the Southwest. Because of the proximity of this area to Mexico and collaborative interactions to develop environmental health science programs in that country, SWEHSC will have a positive health impact on citizens on both sides of the border.